which is a better insulator?

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-02-28 05:17pm

say a piece of iron and a piece of ceramic are sandwiched together. which direction of heating provides better insulation, heating from the iron side or from the ceramic side? or does it not make a difference?

I would think from the iron side because it would get rid of the heat more quickly without giving the ceramic time to heat up, while heating the ceramic would take longer but the heat wou ld stay in the ceramic and be transmitted to the other side by the iron.

does it make a difference??

Ted C · Post by **Ted C** » 2003-02-28 05:50pm

I'm not sure there's an overall difference.

Iron is a pretty good heat conductor; ceramics are typically good insulators. If you apply heat to the iron, the metal will tend to heat more evenly, resulting in a more even temperature increase where it contacts the ceramic.

If you apply heat to the ceramic, you'll probably have a hot spot where you're applying the heat, with a relatively slow and uneven distribution toward the metal.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-02-28 05:51pm

and the iron would cool quicker too while the ceramic would remain hot. thats why i'd think deating the metal is better, because it would get rid of the heat much faster and stuff.